Verdrängen

Verdrängen is a German verb meaning to push away, suppress, or displace. It can refer to physical actions, such as moving an object aside, as well as to figurative uses like suppressing memories, feelings, or ideas. The related noun is Verdrängung, which in psychology is commonly translated as repression.

Etymology and usage: The word combines the prefix ver- with drängen (to push, urge). It is used in everyday language for both concrete and abstract meanings. In physical contexts, one might say someone verdrängt ein Hindernis aus dem Weg. In psychological or social contexts, it describes the act of keeping unwanted thoughts or impulses out of conscious awareness or of crowding someone or something out of a space or field of attention.

In psychology: Verdrängung is a well-known concept in psychoanalytic theory, particularly in the work of Sigmund Freud. It denotes an unconscious defense mechanism that excludes distressing impulses, memories, or conflicts from consciousness. While historically central to psychoanalysis, the concept has been refined and debated in modern psychology, with attention to how unconscious processes interact with cognition, emotion, and memory. Verdrängung is often discussed alongside other coping and regulation strategies rather than as a single explanatory mechanism.

Other uses: Beyond psychology, verdrängen appears in environmental, social, and economic contexts to describe displacement—such as species displacement, population displacement, or market competition that pushes others aside. In all senses, the term conveys the idea of pushing something out of a current position or awareness.